Egypt, Jordan, and Israel

I have been to Egypt twice and Israel, but not Jordan.

I had a two week tour booked for this year in March, but cancelled in December because Israel wasn't open. Two weeks later, Israel opened up. So we plan to do the Gate 1 tour of Israel and Jordan (two weeks) next March.

By far, the best way to see Egypt is on tour that includes a cruise on the Nile. You don't want to do it on your own. If you do Egypt right, you would need about 9-11 days for Egypt.

Three weeks is not bad, but don't scrimp on Egypt or Israel. You need 8 days there. As for Jordan, don't miss Petra.

March is a great time to visit Egypt and Jordan. The days will be in the 70’s but the nights will be cooler so bring a jacket and sweater. It actually snowed briefly as we were leaving Petra. We had a total of 3 weeks for both. Yes, do a Nile cruise and don’t miss Petra. Bring sunscreen.

They company, Egypt and Beyond travel, is the one Rick used for his trip. We like the fact they go to all 3 countries. They have a 19 day itinerary on their website which we will use as a guide to plan our trip. It includes a 4 night cruise in the Nile and Petra. We plan in adding a a few more days. This is going to be a challenge, planning wise, but I am confident that with all the help on the forum I will prevail.
I just have to decide which country to start in and which one to end in. Obviously Jordan will be in the middle.

Barbara, can’t help you with a tour or tour company but I will be spending 8 nights in Jordan on my own (with a driver - not a guide) next month. I can let you know how it goes if you want to do part of the trip on your own.

Travelmom, I know you usually do trip reports so I will look for it. We’re going with at least 4 other people and that is why I am using a tour company. But, we will be the only travelers. Thank you

I think that’s a lot for three weeks, but I understand why you’re doing it:)

My opinion would be to start in Israel, but this is without regard to which country might have the easiest arrival/departure connections. I just would start in Israel because, for me, it was the easiest of the three to travel. Then, given your time limitations, I would just make sure that you see Petra and Jerash in Jordan - those are the two places that still stick out in my mind. And then I would end with Egypt. Egypt is just beautiful chaos - the scale of the historical sites is truly epic.

I don’t think you can go wrong if you end with Israel but ending with Egypt would be my first choice.

And I used Egypt and Beyond Travel too - I loved them. Tarek put together a wonderful tour for us.

Valerie, thank you for the response. I wish we had more time but the people we are traveling with usually only travel for 10 days so this is a stretch for them. We’ll probably only stay in Jordan a few days. We really want to see Petra.

March is a good time to visit Egypt. The days are warm but comfortable, and the nights are cool. It's also a little past the height of tourist season, which helps with crowds.

The only thing about March (or April) is that you are likely to encounter dust storms. In March 2020, we encountered two: one in Cairo and another in Luxor. The one in Cairo was no big deal. We were having a late lunch at a restaurant on the Nile. All of the sudden, napkins and such started blowing off the table, and within minutes we could barely see across the river. It subsided within a few hours, and didn't really impact our activities. The one in Luxor was quite an event, however. Most schools and businesses shut down, and they suspended all boats on the Nile. The good side of it was that we had Karnak Temple to ourselves --- my friend, our guide and I were the only folks crazy enough to be out in it. A good quality keffiyeh really helped in the dust.

Here's what the Luxor dust storm looked like: https://mariematthews.smugmug.com/Egypt/Luxor/i-GPNrC24/A

Wow, fabulous pictures and the dust storm was interesting. We have decided on March 2023 and I am looking into various tour companies for a private trip. A new name popped up called Desert Eco Tours and their reviews seem to be all good. The other companies I was looking at had some negatives, even from people here on the forum.

In Jordan, also see The Citadal that is located in Amman’s highest point, Roman ruins. Great views. Jerash is very worthwhile too with it’s well preserved Roman ruins.
In Petra, make sure you walk all the way to it’s end! Many miss some of Petra’s greatest antiquities as they stop too short and turn around.

Tom. That would be fun. I am going to bookmark this and message you once we get our dates down. And yes, we are lucky because we have 3 airports nearby we can travel from.

Barbara, I'm curious why you said "obviously Jordan will be in the middle." Your best option is likely to be Turkish Air, since they fly to Cairo, Tel Aviv and Amman from Istanbul. Egyptair has a daily flight from Cairo to Tel Aviv. You can cross into Jordan overland from Israel.

You'll probably need to organize a tour for Jordan with a minibus and guide. While everyone knows about Petra, the jewel of Jordan is Jerash. There are other sights of great interest as well.

March is generally good weather-wise, and there are no holidays AFAIK, though Ramadan begins on March 22, but that probably won't impact your trip much, if at all.

Tom and Barbara - sure, it would be great to meet . . . . if I'm in the country. This year I was in Italy from March 18 to April 6.